


Do you promise yourself?

by AuthorInDistress



Series: I promise myself to my God [1]
Category: Norse Mythology, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Creepy Loki, It started with a picture on tumblr, Kid!Tony right now, Loki's Punishments, M/M, Medieval AU, Mentions of Past Torture, Religion and myth is obsessed over in the village Tony lives in, Weirdest au I've thought of writing so far, but nothing happens between he and Loki until he grows up, could perhaps be seen as pedophillia in a way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 12:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorInDistress/pseuds/AuthorInDistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> There’s this legend.</i>
</p><p>  <i>A legend that most of the children in the village have already heard told countless of times before, around many of their camp fires and odd little meetings in the church. Well. It’s a story, really, not real at all, but legend is what the elders call it, so legend it’ll be.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Do you promise yourself?

**Author's Note:**

> The entirety of this youtube clip inspired most of this. You should have a listen. Maybe while reading it ;)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiwuQ6UHMQg

.

There’s this legend.

 

A legend that most of the children in the village have already heard told countless of times before, around many of their camp fires and odd little meetings in the church. Well. It’s a story, really, not real at all, but legend is what the elders call it, so legend it’ll be.

 

It begins inside a forest, but - well, where Tony lives, there’s only swamp, so the elders usually tend to change the location of story to make it so. And so, the forest, or swamp, is supposedly full of creatures unlike anything anyone’s ever seen.

And - well. That part, he’ll suppose, is actually rather true. But then again, what is a story unless it has some inklings of truth mixed in as well?

Tony wades through the warmth of the waters, biting down on his bottom lip and pulling the hood of his jacket up higher to ward off the flies that buzz around his face.

The story tells of a small opening in the mouth of a river, or, as this is a swamp and not a forest, the elders tend to say “at the edge of the marsh”, instead. But - everything’s marsh here, what _edge_?

More flies flit around his face and, unexpectedly, a Green-eyed Croaker decides to jump out at him, startling him into crying out and shielding his face before realizing that it’s nothing compared to what his imagination had made him think it to be.

At the mouth of the river, at the edge of the marsh, there should be a pyre. And on that pyre should be every single sin you’ve committed, and every single insult and lie that you’ve ever said. To show all of the children how much they’ll be punished by Hela in Hel.

And, with Tony, that’s an awful lot of punishment. He’s genuinely intrigued to see what it would look like - if it even exists …

Nothing much else bothers him as he wades along and his clothes begin to stick to his skin. Obidiah’s probably going to send him out into the chop shop later as punishment for ruining his church clothes but, right now, Tony can’t care less.

Because. Out here, alone and at peace, he doesn’t even have to worry about anything at all like that.

He doesn’t have to pretend to care about what _God_ will think if he tends to think a few bad words, or what the mothers would say if they see him with mud tracked down his trousers.

Here. He doesn’t have to _care_. It’s like - freedom. And that’s hard to come by, under Odin’s rule, so he’ll take whatever little moments that he can get.

The water is thinning now, slowly becoming a little more green and a little less brown, and Tony bends his head at the neck to smile down at the luminous glow of the little fins that swim under it.

They’re so beautiful, and here, watching them, he’s never felt so calm.

But - then.

Water suddenly sloshes around him. As though someone, someone close by, has just moved through the water - and he pauses, snapping his head up in fear.

It sloshes again, more a splash this time now, and ripples flow out toward him. Tony freezes, his heart beat beginning to quicken.

"… hello?"

No one answers, and that’s usual, but - well. No one is usually out here at all. He’s usually alone when in the swamp, who would -

"Rhodey, I swear, if it’s you following me, then you’d better tell me now because - "

”... _well, well_."

Tony’s mouth snaps shut and he almost stops breathing entirely. There’s another set of ripples, from just behind him, and Tony knows now, he knows, he can tell.

Someone’s there. Just there. A man, from the sound of things. With a deep voice, threateningly low and - and so close, too close, for Tony’s comfort.

He shuts his eyes, just for a few seconds in trying to calm himself down, before slowly, very slowly, turning himself around. The water makes it hard to turn quickly but he moves backward as subtly as he can anyway, so going slow is actually rather helpful right now. In it’s own way.

"… are you lost, child?"

Tony swallows, staring.

The man, for it is a man - or at least … he _thinks_ so - seems to be chained against a slap of black rock off to the side of the water; surrounded by dead wild-flower and leaches.

His hair is long, midnight black like Tony’s, and curled in sharp curves just by his shoulders but it’s the green of his eyes and the reddening bruises over almost every bit of pale skin that’s on display, that actually gets Tony’s attention.

He’s naked, then. And badly hurt.

"No." Tony says, louder and calmer than he really feels, "Are you?"

The man smiles at him, edging closer and more ripples flow out between them before they’re suddenly ruined when an arm shoots out to latch onto Tony’s wrist, pulling it under water and holding it there.

Tony yelps, trying to tug it back, panicking and so close to screaming out for help when - the man’s hands begin to glow.

"… are you human. little one?"

Tony stares at him, he just keeps on staring because what else can he do? He can’t - he won’t answer, Obadiah would kill him first of all, and second - he’s terrified.

"I - "

"You are … I can _smell_ it on you.” What? Tony tries to yank his hand away again but fingers dig into the veins of his wrist and keep him still. He can feel tears beginning to prick behind his eyes, fear bubbling in his throat. He should never have come here. “Midgardian.”

"Let go, please." Tony’s hood nearly falls off of his head when he’s pulled even closer and he’s almost hyperventilating now, "Please. Please I need to get home."

Now much closer, he can see all of the scars that seem to litter over the man - can see the holes around his mouth and the disgustingly puffy blotches around his eyes. Like they’ve been burnt, or something.

Tony’s hand brushes over something large and scaly under the water and he nearly screams, “I - what’s that? What’s that, under there?’”

The man’s smile grows, an almost hungry glint to his eyes, “ _Snake_.” He whispers, his teeth too bright a white that Tony tries to focus more on them than on the gleam of his green eyes, “The head of one.”

That can’t be a snake’s head, it’s far too big for one, far too -

"Oh, don’t worry, boy. It’s dead. It’s alright." Tony’s shaking. His hand is gripped tighter, "… it can’t hurt anyone anymore."

 

"I want to go home, please. Please let go." This time, he does scream when he’s tugged forward, his face almost hitting the man’s chest.

"Not just yet, not yet. Just wait … "

He whimpers, struggling desperately now, trying to get away, but before he can scream out for help again, another hand encircles his waist and pulls him up and out of the water. Sitting him over the rock, just above the man’s head, “I need you to promise me something, first, child. One little promise, and then you may return home. Safe and to your family.”

"Don’t have a family." Tony says immediately, his drilled-in-response. "I mean - "

"Oh?" The man smiles, "Well. Never mind then, I think I’ll keep you here, with me, instead."

"No!"

The man laughs now, and it’s loud, it echoes everywhere. Tony flinches but he doesn’t know why. He’s not been hurt, not at all. But he’s still frightened. There’s just … something about this man, something too strange -

"Will you promise me something, then, child? Will you promise yourself? To your God?"

Tony freezes.

God.

He said - he’s a … God? Or _the_ God? Had he - Oh no. Tony’s lies. His sins. It is all real then, and he’s just been such a -

"I’m sorry." He blurts out, quickly, and the God raises an eyebrow at him, "I’ve - I’m sorry. For … everything. I didn’t - I mean I never actually thought - I -"

"Shh." The God hushes him, turning in the water and keeping Tony from falling by placing hands on his hips, "Just a promise, little one, just one and then all is forgiven."

"Of course." Tony agrees straight away. That’s what you should do, right? When God comes to you, you answer. That’s what Church says, and what Obadiah says. Then again, Obadiah says that you should always obey anyone at all if they’re telling you to do something, so he should really have listened to the God from the start. Will he _ever_ learn?

"Good … " The God sighs and, when he leans over, the rest of the snake can suddenly be seen from behind him and the rock. It really is that large, Hel, but what is it here for? "… What age are you boy?" Tony doesn’t trust his voice at first, not after seeing the body of that snake, so instead, he simply holds up eight of his fingers. The God hums. "Mm. Young. Too young." He sighs again, a little bitterly.

"I’m sorry." Tony apologizes, though he’s not really sure how his age can be his fault.

The God chuckles, leaning down, “Your promise, child. Will you hear it?” Tony nods. “It will take devotion, on your part.” He hesitates, he’s not quite sure what that word means yet, though he’s heard it many times before, but he nods anyway, “Here we are then. Firstly, boy, you will leave here once I release you, but you will not allow anyone to know of my existence.” Tony nods. “You will ensure that no one ever ventures out this far, and that no one sees me apart from you.” Another nod. “And that, as your grow older, you will begin to prepare yourself for me. To be utterly mine. To release me from this _curse_ that I’ve upon me.”

"Curse?" Tony asks, his eyes darting over toward the chains. The God shuts his eyes and nods once, slowly.

"Curse." He echoes, breathing a little too loudly. Does he - does he live out here? Well. He is chained, so perhaps - "I will need your soul to bind with mine, child. And so, for that, in your promise, I will need your hand."

Tony’s heart falters, “My - my _hand_?”

"… Yes. Your hand … in Marriage." Marriage? What - what’s that? He doesn’t recall anything to do about something called ‘marriage’ in Church. But then, God must know more than all of them, so - "Do you promise me, then? Do your promise yourself, to me, child?"

"I do." Tony nods, quickly, "I promise. I promise, I promise." The God smiles, unclasping his hands from Tony’s and gently lowering him back into the water.

"… _perfect_.”

.


End file.
